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In 1995, Petty, then reportedly 16, was convicted of first-degree attempted rape of a 16-year-old victim. According to prosecutors he had used a sharp object to try and coerce the teen into having intercourse, and subsequently served four years in a New York state prison. The Blastalso reported that Petty is a registered sex offender in the state. After he was released from that sentence, Petty would later go on to serve another seven years for first-degree manslaughter. He was released in 2013.

TMZ adds that the Petty and Minaj were friends in Queens prior to them becoming a couple. After being informed of (or after reading through) the fallout from the media/fan background check, Minaj posted a message in response to an IG commenter that simply said:

"He was 15, she was 16 ... in a relationship. But go awf, internet. y'all can't run my life. Y'all can't even run y'all own life. Thank you boo."